Bridgewater native selected to represent Reebok in Boston Marathon

Saturday

Apr 1, 2017 at 12:00 AMApr 1, 2017 at 11:57 AM

Jill Wyman, a Bridgewater-Raynham graduate and video producer for Reebok in Boston, has been selected as one of five women who will run in the Boston Marathon on the company's behalf and in support of the 261 Fearless organization, which uses running as a vehicle to support and encourage women to surpass obstacles in their lives.

Tom Relihan The Enterprise TMRelihan_ENT

BRIDGEWATER – In 1967, Katherine Switzer became the first woman to run in the traditionally all-male Boston Marathon with a sanctioned number, following in the literal footsteps of Roberta Gibbs, the first woman to sneak in and run the course unsanctioned a year earlier.

For that, she was attacked by a male race official, who tried to tear her numbered bib from her chest.

With the help of her fellow runners, she beat him back, finished the race, and five years later the rules were changed to allow women to compete.

Now, a Bridgewater native will run the same race in honor of Switzer’s efforts.

Jill Wyman, a Bridgewater-Raynham graduate and junior video producer for Reebok in Boston, has been selected as one of five women who will run in the Boston Marathon on the company’s behalf and in support of Switzer’s 261 Fearless organization, which uses running as a vehicle to support and encourage women to surpass obstacles in their lives.

Wyman, 24, was chosen along with two other Boston-based employees, one from Italy and another from Canada, she said.

And she’s excited to pick up Switzer’s torch.

“It’s really an honor, and it’s crazy to think that it was only 50 years ago,” Wyman said of Switzer’s run. “For such a huge, wonderful event in a city I was raised in to be so limited, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come so quickly.”

To be considered, Wyman had to write a pair of essays, one for Reebok and another for 261 Fearless.

Though Wyman ran track in high school, leading the team as captain, she’s never been particularly serious about the sport and never considered herself a marathon-level athlete.

“(Running) has always been a fun thing to do - I do the Falmouth road race every summer, and I did a half marathon in Scotland when I was abroad – but I never took it seriously.”

Since November, she’s been running at least four times per week, building up from five to ten to 15 mile runs.

On Saturday, she completed the longest run of her training regimen – 21.1 miles – before the race itself.

Now, she’ll taper the distance down until race day on April 17.

“I’ve really surprised myself with my physical ability,” she said. “But they say it’s a mental race, just get through it one foot in front of the other.”

Wyman was required to raise at least $5,000 for 261 Fearless, but she’s already surpassed that with more than $10,000 raised as of March 28.

To donate: https://www.crowdrise.com/261FearlessBoston2017/fundraiser/jillwyman